Sir Alex Ferguson was in attendance in Saint-Denis as he saw Portugal lift the EURO 2016 trophy at the Stade de France on Sunday night. He was waiting in the stands to congratulate Ronaldo and was met with a big smile when the Portuguese talisman spotted him after which he embraced the star-striker.
Nani, who had a great tournament in France, was also greeted by the 74-year-old on his way down after lifting the trophy with the Portugal team.
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It wasn’t the best of outings for Cristiano Ronaldo on the field in the final of the European Championships. He was stretchered off the field in the first half after a Dimitri Payet tackle. But the former Manchester United man still won hearts as he was seen encouraging and shouting out instructions to his teammates from the sidelines just before extra-time. His night ended in joy as Portugal managed to sneak in the late goal in the 109th minute thanks to Eder.
As Ronaldo descended after lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy, the joy was clear on his face when he met his former boss in the stands. Ronaldo has credited the legendary Manchester United manager many times before for developing him into the devastating forward he has become and it was touching to see that he got to share his success with his mentor.
Ronaldo joined Manchester United as an 18-year-old youngster back in 2003 when Sir Alex Ferguson was at the helm where he won the Premier League thrice and a Champions League before leaving for Real Madrid in 2009 where he bagged another couple of Champions League titles. The Euro Cup was his first major international trophy with Portugal.
“I'm so happy. This is something I have wanted for a long time now, ever since 2004,” said an emotional Ronaldo after Portugal’s 1-0 win over France.
“This is one of the happiest moments of my career. I've always said I wanted to win a trophy with the national team and make history. I'd like to thank my team-mates, our coach, our wider team at this EURO, and the Portuguese people cheering us on. This is a unique moment for me. It's unforgettable,” he added.
